concert + liveshow journal

7/17/2025: Brainstory (Opening acts: City Soul Collective & The Silvertone)

I went to a new venue for this show, and it was really fun! The first act, the City Soul Collective, was a pair of DJs spinning old R&B and soul music. it was my first time seeing people disc jockey with actual vinyl and i thought it was really cool! the second act was my standout of the night - Silvertone is a chicano soul band local to my area, and their vibes are incredible. the band is huge, i think they had 8 members? including a saxophone AND a trumpet player!!! i loved watching them play, absolutely lovely. the last band, Brainstory, kind of fell short for me since they were a chilled out three piece band following up on a high-energy eight(ish) piece band. i thought they were just OK live, but they do have some good recorded music (i'm basic but i like their single mnemophobia).

6/26/2025: Ace Monroe (Opening acts: Kilfeather & Morskie Oko)

A man plays bass guitar on a stage lit by blue lights.

i had a blast at this show! kilfeather had a really charming frontman and their bassist & drummer were both super cool. morskie oko played music that was out of my comfort zone but i enjoyed it, plus they had great stage presence. ace monroe really exceeded my expectations and the crowd was fuckin' awesome. people were moshing (mind you this is a tiny bar venue), i headbanged with a couple folks, got and gave a bunch of fist bumps.... great vibes all around. plus i got to meet the band afterwards and they were super chill! i walked away with a set list and some great memories. lovely night!

5/20/2025: Tim & James Finale (Opening Act: SHUA)

An empty stage with several guitars and a keyboard.

this show was a part of tim&james's last (for the forseeable future) tour, so of course i had to go see it. it was a really cool experience seeing them develop as an act, seeing them so much more confident in this show versus the first one i saw back in 2024. tim and james have an awesome on-stage dynamic that just radiates joy and friendship, and that really shines in their music as well. plus, james actually recognized me, which was really sweet! i loved seeing them live so much, and i really hope they return to touring some day.

4/21/2025: LSD & The Search for God (Supported by Zereul & Blossom)

An empty stage with several amps and an insane amount of effects pedals.

this was my first like, proper rock show! although the opening acts were way more high-energy rock since LSD&TSFG plays extremely chilled out shoegaze, lol. kinda regret not bringing weed to this show but i did have to drive home afterwards. i had a nice little interaction with LSD&TSFG's front runner, Andy Liszt - those kinds of moments really make smaller shows like this one special to me. great vibes, although holy fuck, with two opening acts this show lasted like 5 hours total (standing room only...). and apparently they have new music coming out! which is sick!

10/13/2024: Porter Robinson (Opening Act: Eric DOA)

A large on-stage screen shows several tweets. Behind them, Porter Robinson holds up a Peter Griffin guitar pick to the camera.

i wrote about this one already as one of my favorite memories with friends in 2024, but it deserves a second entry because i fuckin LOVE porter. we were the extremely lucky crowd that got a AIR2EARTH pre-game before this show, and the sunset vibes at this venue are just incredible. this entire night was awesome and i am so glad i got to spend it with my friends <3

9/14/2024: Hozier

A tall man with long hair sings on-stage while playing acoustic guitar. The audience is visible and holding up flashlights.

hozier was one of my top artists of 2024. this was one of the larger concerts i've been to in a while, with several thousand people in the arena. hozier & allison russell absolutely killed this show, and i got to hear both of my favorites live: wildflower & barley and psychopomp. great night!

9/12/2024: Tim & James (pt. 2)

A backyard stage is illuminated by overhead lightbulbs.

i went again!!!! this one was a bit different from the last show, instead of being in a backyard, it was in a front yard! the audience was noticably larger, probably 40-50ish people? again, lovely vibes, really enjoyed this one.

4/16/2024: Tim & James (pt. 1)

An outdoor porch with several guitars and various audio equipment.

this show was in someone's backyard, there were maybe 20 people there max. people had picnic blankets, beers, and it was honestly such a lovely vibe. tim and james are a duo who play fiddle (tim) and acoustic guitar (james). their music is defintely different from a lot of other stuff i enjoy, but i had a great time here :-) and i got a t&j sweater! it's a very nice sweater.